Abacus FCF Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Abacus FCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 46.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,556 shares during the quarter. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,317,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $274,000. Finally, Patten Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $277,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.46.

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Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE VLO traded up $1.58 on Friday, reaching $110.59. 3,775,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,978,792. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $174.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The business's fifty day moving average price is $127.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.